Let the cheesesteaks be eaten.
Honestly, we don’t need a holiday to celebrate cheesesteaks. Food fans in Philly and throughout the region chomp through more than our fair share of the city’s namesake sandwich all year round.
But as National Cheesesteak Day arrives Sunday, March 24 (unclear who decides the arbitrary day when these national holidays are celebrated), what better time to dig into the Billy Penn archives and catch up on all things cheesesteak you might have missed?
Lots of national chains have, of course, jumped on the cheesesteak bandwagon, but these version have often been a poor introduction to the city’s signature delicacy.
Most recently, a video review of cheesesteaks from Mexico City landed in Billy Penn’s inbox from Bryan Gabriel Yanez Oliva. Among the Mexican versions he tried included one with cream cheese topping in place of whiz or provolone. Another he called “one of the most confused cheesesteaks I’ve seen in my life.”
“I learned how integral regional and national breads are to the fabric of our foods. I took it for granted as just another funny shaped bread to accompany my meal. But the fact that I can’t get a good Italian hoagie roll in an international city like Mexico City, who are our neighbors, is insane,” he said. “The experience really made me appreciate our coveted breads back home to be the backbone of our beloved dish, the cheesesteak.”
His final ruling on the search for a good Philly cheesesteak in Mexico’s capital? “It doesn’t exist. It’s not here.”
Let’s help the national chains get it right
The cheesesteak is not a complicated thing. Overcomplicating or “putting your spin” on this simple sandwich is where many would-be imitators around the country get it wrong. In 2016, Billy Penn showed the way with the easy to follow Philly Cheesesteak Guide: How to make the city’s signature sandwich. (And no mushrooms allowed.)
Maybe it’s the people
You can have all the right ingredients but still miss the mark on making a good cheesesteak. So, maybe it’s the people that make the difference. Billy Penn has done plenty of work to highlight the cooks behind the grills that make such an impact on the city’s culinary classic.
While most if not all of our favorite spots are named after men (John’s, Jim’s, or Joe’s? Is it Pat’s, Geno’s, or Steve’s? How about Tony Luke’s? Barry’s? Max’s? George’s?) There are plenty of women slinging shaved beef that deserve their due, as well.
Surprise from South Dakota
While it’s often a risk to order a cheesesteak in a distant, far-off land and expect it to be anything like what we’re used to, sometimes there’s a pleasant surprise.
Consider what Billy Penn’s Heather Chin discovered last year on a trip to the Mount Rushmore State. Perhaps it was the close proximity to the land where buffalo once roamed, and where cattle are now king. Maybe it was a former Philly guy like Ted English who moved to the Black Hills two decades ago and opened his “Ted’s Real Philly.”
South Dakota isn’t the only far flung place we’ve found cheesesteak culture alive and well, even if it’s not exactly what we’re used to.
The Indiana State Fair offered a wide variety of cheesesteak-adjacent items including Bison cheesesteak egg rolls, a “Philly chicken,” and cheesesteak fries.
Cheesesteaks fuel community
Philly’s love affair with the cheesesteak isn’t just about the delicious taste (or the overwhelmingly full feeling after downing a 12-inch roll stuffed with meat and cheese.)
Like many other local foods (hotdish, anyone?) in many other parts of the world, people really form a bond around their local favorite. That’s what happened last year following the opening of Jim’s West, a reincarnation of sorts of the Jim’s that once existed at that spot for since 1966.
“I’ve been coming here since I was a teenager,” one customer said. The location has a decades-long reputation for delivering “a good, greasy cheesesteak,” he said. “That’s why people come here.”
And maybe that’s why we love the often-imitated, rarely-duplicated Philly cheesesteak. A simple sandwich with no frills.
Happy Cheesesteak Day to all who celebrate! (And isn’t that just about everyone?)
